Teaching kids to appreciate and celebrate diversity is an important priority in our modern world. Luckily there are many beautiful children’s books about diversity available that can help bring those lessons home.
Diverse books are powerful, because kids can see themselves in the stories.
Multicultural children’s books also help kids learn more about each other. They encourage kids to understand and empathize with those who are different.
You can talk to children about respecting differences til’ the cows come home, but sometimes it takes a good story to really make a point clear.
That’s why we put together a list of our favorite children’s books about diversity that feature characters of different races, ethnicities, abilities, religions, and gender identities.
This collection of stories can help teach lessons about accepting others, being friends with people who are different than us, and focusing on positive interactions.
Best Children’s Books About Diversity
1. Baby Goes to Market
Author: Atinuke
Age: 0-4 Years Old
In Baby Goes To Market, a joyful black baby and his mother go shopping in an open air market in West Africa where vendors give baby treats without his mom knowing. Kids will love being on on the secret!
The rhythmic text is perfect for reading aloud, and little ones can count along as baby receives a various number of items.
2. AntiRacist Baby
Author: Ibram X. Kendi
Age: 0-4 years old
Take your first steps with Antiracist Baby! Or rather, follow Antiracist Baby‘s nine easy steps for building a more equitable world.
This thoughtful yet playful story introduces young readers and the grown-ups in their lives to the concept and power of antiracism. Providing the language necessary to begin critical conversations at the earliest age, Antiracist Baby is the perfect way to start conversations about race and equality.
3. A Big Mooncake for Little Star
Author: Grace Lin
Age: 4-8 years old
A Big Mooncake For Little Star is a fun bedtime read that sounds like a lullaby. A child longs to eat a mooncake, and each night takes a bite which brings about a new phase of the moon.
At the end we learn the story is a special tribute to the mid-autumn moon festival, the asian author’s favorite holiday.
4. Mommy, Mama, and Me
Author: Leslea Newman
Age: 3-7 Years Old
Mommy, Mama, and Me is one of the only original board books about gay parents.
Rhythmic text and illustrations show a toddler spending the day with both their mommies. From hide-and-seek to dress-up, then bath time and a kiss goodnight, there’s no limit to what a loving family can do together.
This book shares the loving bond between same-sex parents and their children.
There is also a version with two fathers by the same author – Daddy, Papa, and me. Also available from Amazon.
5. I Am Enough
Author: Grace Byes
Age: 4-8 Years Old
I Am Enough is a great picture book and a New York Times bestseller!
This story is a beautiful ode to loving who you are, respecting others, and being kind. Great lessons for any child.
RELATED: Inspirational Acts Of Kindness Books For Kids
6. The Color Of Us
Author: Karen Katz
Age: 4-8 Years Old
One of the best children’s books about diversity, The Colors of Us focuses on a little girl named Lena who wants to paint a self-portrait using brown paint for her skin.
When Lena and her mom go out for a walk, she notices there are many different shades of brown skin. Lena starts to see the world in a new way.
The author wrote the book for her daughter Lena who she adopted from Guatemala. A touching read your kids will love.
7. I Love Saturdays y Domingos
Author: Alma Flor Ada
Age: 5-8 Years Old
Saturdays y Domingos (Sundays) are very special days for the child in this story. On Saturdays, she visits her European-American grandparents, and on Sundays, she visits Abuelito y Abuelita, who are Mexican-American.
While the two sets of grandparents are different in many ways, they also have a lot in common — particularly their love for their granddaughter.
The joy of both cultures is conveyed in both Spanish and English. This story will especially resonate with children who have a multicultural heritage.
8. This is How We Do It: One Day in the Lives of Seven Kids from Around the World
Author: Matt Lamothe
Age: 4-6 Years Old
This Is How We Do It is a fascinating story for both kids and adults alike. A top pick among multicultural children’s books.
Your child can follow a day in the life of seven kids from around the world and from very different cultures: Italy, Japan, Iran, India, Peru, Uganda and Russia.
The characters are based on real kids from each of the countries. The story follows them throughout their day, from morning until bedtime. Your kids will develop a new appreciation for different cultures around the world, which makes this a favorite among children’s books about diversity.
9. Stella Diaz Has Something To Say
Author: Angela Dominguez
Age: 7 – 9 Years Old
Shy Stella Diaz mixes up English and Spanish and worries about not fitting in with either her American or Mexican culture.
Kids will relate to her struggle and eventual success as she find her confidence and makes some new friends in the process.
10. Chester Nez and the Unbreakable Code: A Navajo Code Talker’s Story
Author: Joseph Bruchac
Age: 7 – 9 Years Old
As a young Navajo boy, Chester Nez had to leave the reservation and attend boarding school, where he was taught that his native language and culture were useless. But Chester refused to give up his heritage.
Years later, during World War II, Chester and other Navajos were recruited by the US Marines to use the Navajo language to create an unbreakable military code. True story.
Young readers will admire Nez’s determination and unwillingness to abandon his culture.
RELATED: The Best Children’s Books About Courage
11. We’re Different, We’re The Same
Author: Bobbi Kates
Age: 3-7 Years
In We’re Different, We’re The Same Elmo and his Sesame Street friends help teach toddlers and the adults in their lives that everyone is the same on the inside, and it’s our differences that make this wonderful world, which is home to us all, an interesting and special place.
This charming story, one of our favorite children’s books about diversity, helps kids celebrate differences. On the inside – we all have the same needs, desires, and feelings.
12. Amina’s Voice
Author: Hena Khan
Age: 9 – 12 Years Old
In Amina’s Voice, the title character’s best friend wants to change her name to sound more American.
Amina, a Pakistani-American muslim, grapples with important questions about fitting in. Along the way she learns lessons about culture, family, community, and empathy.
Also In Beenke:
- Brilliant Feminist Books For Kids!
- Best Children’s Books About Special Needs
- Inspiring Children’s Books About Confidence
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